Your task
Tuesday, November 3 · 12 Lipa Street
Your task
Today you run into your neighbors at three different times of day. Your goal: greet each person the right way, ask how they are, and choose between ti and Vi. In Serbian, that choice says as much as the words do.
By the end you can
Say hello and goodbye from morning to night, ask Kako si? or Kako ste?, answer, and ask back.
Guess first: how many ways does Serbian have to say "you" to one person?
Two. Ti is for friends, family and children, and Vi is for respect and distance. This lesson is about choosing between them.
The scene
Three moments from your Tuesday. Read them on your own first. Your own answers aren't in the text, only what the other person says. Answer the questions after the third moment, and open the translations if you need them.
8:00 a.m. The elevator is still broken, so you take the stairs. Jelena is on her way down too.
- Jelena:Dobro jutro! Opet stepenice, a?
- Jelena:Kako si? Snalaziš se?
- Jelena:Super. Ja idem po hleb. Vidimo se!
6:00 p.m. You come home. Your landlord, Mr. Petrović, is at the entrance, and a minute later Jelena arrives.
- Gospodin Petrović:Dobro veče! Kako ste? Je l' sve u redu sa stanom?
- Gospodin Petrović:Odlično. Ako nešto zatreba, tu sam, u prizemlju.
- Jelena:Dobro veče, gospodine Petroviću! Kako ste?
- Gospodin Petrović:Jelena! Dobro, hvala. A kako si ti? Kako je Mrvica?
- Jelena:Dobro smo obe, hvala!
- Gospodin Petrović:Pozdravi Luku. Prijatno!
9:30 p.m. You stop by Jelena's to thank her for the help with your suitcase. Her brother Luka is there.
- Jelena:Uđi, uđi! Hoćeš čaj?
- Luka:Ćao! Šta ima?
- Luka:Ajde, ja idem, kasno je. Laku noć!
- Jelena:Laku noć, Luka! Vidimo se.
Words & phrases
Hello, goodbye and how are you. The greetings for each time of day are in the next step.
Zdravo!
Hi! / Bye! (with ti)
Ćao!
Hi! / Bye! (with friends)
Doviđenja!
Goodbye! (polite)
Vidimo se!
See you!
Prijatno!
Have a nice day! (a friendly goodbye)
Kako si?
How are you? (ti)
Kako ste?
How are you? (Vi)
Dobro sam, hvala.
I'm fine, thanks.
Šta ima?
What's up? (casual)
Drago mi je.
Nice to meet you.
How it works
Greetings for each time of day. These four change with the clock.
- When
- In the morning, until about 10
- Good to know
- jutro = morning
- When
- During the day, until about 6 p.m.
- Good to know
- The safest hello in shops and offices
- When
- From about 6 p.m., or earlier when it gets dark in winter
- Good to know
- veče = evening
- When
- Only when you leave late, or go to bed
- Good to know
- Never a hello
Dobro jutro, but dobar dan
dobro jutro · dobar dan · dobro veče · laku noć
The word for good changes with the word after it. Jutro (morning) and veče (evening) take dobro; dan (day) takes dobar. Why? Every Serbian noun belongs to a group, and words like good match that group. You don't need the groups yet: learn these as set phrases, and add a name or a title after them.
- 1.
Dobro jutro, Jelena!
Good morning, Jelena!
- 2.
Dobar dan!
Hello! (during the day)
- 3.
Dobar dan, gospodine Petroviću!
Hello, Mr. Petrović!
- 4.
Dobro veče!
Good evening!
- 5.
Dobro veče, komšije!
Good evening, neighbors!
- 6.
Laku noć, vidimo se!
Good night, see you!
Dobro jutro, not Dobar jutro
Dobar jutro!
Dobro jutro!
It's dobro jutro and dobro veče, but dobar dan. Learn the three as set phrases.
Zdravo and Ćao work at any time of day, for hello and for goodbye, with people you say ti to. With Vi, say Dobar dan (or Dobro jutro, Dobro veče) when you arrive and Doviđenja when you leave.
Ti or Vi. Serbian has two ways to say "you". Ti is for people you're close to, and Vi is for respect and distance. Getting this right matters more than any grammar in this lesson: Kako si? to an older stranger sounds too familiar.
| Say ti (Kako si?) | Say Vi (Kako ste?) |
|---|---|
| Friends and family | People you don't know |
| Children and teenagers | Older people |
| People your age in casual places: a party, the gym, a hostel | Shop staff, waiters, doctors, officials |
| Anyone who tells you Možemo na ti (we can say ti) | Your landlord and your boss, until they suggest ti |
An older person may say ti to you, and you still answer with Vi. That's normal, not rude. Wait until they say Možemo na ti.
Ti and Vi in everyday phrases
ti: si, izvini, ti · Vi: ste, izvinite, Vam
The choice changes more than the question. Sorry and thank you have a ti form and a Vi form too. Why two forms? Vi shows respect, and it's also the plural: to two or more people, even friends, you always say Vi. In writing to one person, Vi takes a capital V.
- 1.
Kako si?
How are you? (ti)
- 2.
Kako ste?
How are you? (Vi, or to two or more people)
- 3.
Izvini!
Sorry! (ti)
- 4.
Izvinite!
Sorry! (Vi)
- 5.
Hvala ti.
Thank you. (ti)
- 6.
Hvala Vam.
Thank you. (Vi)
- 7.
Kako ste, deco?
How are you, kids? (two or more: vi)
- 8.
Možemo na ti?
Can we say ti?
Kako ste? to your doctor
Dobar dan, doktorka! Kako si?
Dobar dan, doktorka! Kako ste?
A doctor you don't know well gets Vi. Kako si? is for friends, family and children.
Answer, then ask back
Answer the question, then send it back with A ti? or A Vi?, matching the question you got. Why? Serbs expect the question back: a plain "Dobro, hvala" sounds a little cold.
- 1.
Dobro sam, hvala. A ti?
I'm fine, thanks. And you? (ti)
- 2.
Dobro, hvala. A Vi?
Fine, thanks. And you? (Vi)
- 3.
Odlično! A ti?
Great! And you?
- 4.
Nije loše. A Vi?
Not bad. And you?
- 5.
Onako. A ti?
So-so. And you?
- 6.
Ništa posebno. A kod tebe?
Nothing special. And with you? (answer to Šta ima?)
Good to know: when you speak to someone, a name or title can change its ending a little. Gospodin Petrović becomes Dobro veče, gospodine Petroviću! You don't need to do this yet. Dobro veče! on its own is perfectly polite.
Practice
Ti or Vi? Ten people, two minutes. For each person, choose what you'd ask: Kako si? or Kako ste?
Read: a note in the hallway
On Wednesday morning, this note is on the board by the mailboxes.
Dobar dan, komšije!
Sutra od 8 do 10 nema vode. Izvinite zbog neprijatnosti.
Pozdrav,
D. Petrović, prizemlje
New words: komšije = neighbors, sutra = tomorrow, od ... do = from ... to, nema vode = there's no water, izvinite zbog neprijatnosti = sorry for the trouble, pozdrav = regards, prizemlje = ground floor.
Culture note
Culture note
Meeting someone for the first time? Shake hands, look them in the eye and say your name. Friends and relatives greet each other with three kisses on the cheeks, but not at a first meeting, so a handshake is always safe. When you leave a shop, the shop assistant will say Prijatno! It's a friendly goodbye, and you can say it back (people also say it to someone who's eating: enjoy your meal). And Kako si? is a real question here: people may actually tell you how they are.
Your turn
Your writing goes to your instructor, who reads every one and writes back.
Four moments of your week
Write what you'd say in these four moments: (1) 7:30 a.m., you pick up breakfast at the bakery and then leave; (2) noon, you walk into the post office; (3) 4 p.m., you run into a friend your age on the street; (4) 11 p.m., you leave a party to go home. Greet each person, and say goodbye where it fits. Think about ti and Vi. At least 12 words. Your instructor will read it. Open the example only after you try.
Write it in your own words. Without an account, you can save your answer in this tab. Closing the tab deletes it.
Main writing task · at least 12 words. Submitting it is part of finishing this activity.
Example answer
Pekara, 7:30: Dobro jutro! Hvala, prijatno! Pošta, 12:00: Dobar dan! Hvala, doviđenja! Drugarica, 16:00: Ćao! Kako si? Vidimo se! Žurka, 23:00: Laku noć! Vidimo se!
Compare the information and how it's phrased. Your answer doesn't need to use the same words.
Check yourself
Four questions. Get three right to pass, and try again as many times as you like. The lesson is complete when you pass the quiz and send your writing task.
Quiz
Check yourself: hello, goodbye, ti and Vi
4 questions · pass mark 75%
- 1.
It's 8 p.m. and you walk into a small shop. What do you say?
- 2.
It's your first visit to a new doctor, a woman of about 50. How do you start?
- 3.
You meet two friends together. How do you ask how they are?
- 4.
When do people say Prijatno?
Answer every question before you submit.
What you can do now
What you can do now
You can greet people at any time of day, ask Kako si? or Kako ste?, answer, ask back, and say goodbye the right way, including Laku noć and Prijatno. Most important, you can choose between ti and Vi, and when in doubt you choose Vi. If the choice still feels slippery, do the ti or Vi round again. Next lesson: telling people who you are and where you're from.
More practice
Put the conversation in order. It's 10 p.m., and you meet Jelena at her door. (Umorna sam means I'm tired.)
Grab a card and drag it to the right spot.
Match each question with a good answer. New words: Ništa posebno means nothing special, and I meni means me too.